aluminum or stainless and to repair or not to repair

[mcurcio1989]

Hey all, we have a 2000 four winns with a volvo 5.0 and I believe it is their sx drive. The boat is used in the Maumee river ohio which is a fairly shallow body of water with a thick muck bottom. We keep the boat docked at our house and so we have to go about 1/2 a mile through a channel to get around an island every time we go in or out. The trouble is it is fairly shallow 4-5 feet most days and there is a delta that is often gives only 3-4' of depth for some 200 feet. I am very careful to avoid shallow areas and raise the lower unit in shallower water but never the less we seem to go through props way to often. We have always ran aluminum props but I wonder if maybe stainless would be better. The question would be are we going to damage the drive if we do so? My thought is the aluminum is kind of like paper cutting butter with the stainless being a butter knife. I don't think the stuff that is damaging the aluminum would really actually damage the stainless or drive but I don't know if I am just being a wishful thinker.

I have been taking the props to a local shop to be repaired but it seems to me that they don't hold up. Generally the material welded on is thinner than the original and will often fail from the same area. Last fall I had a prop repaired put it on and then used the boat three times and never hit anything but when we took the boat out in the fall it was missing a good sized area. So that is pretty frustrating

 

[jestor68]

Re: aluminum or stainless and to repair or not to repair

If you have a "soft" lake bottom, it would be worth while to invest in a SS prop for the durability.

Being roughly five times stronger than aluminum, what is bending your aluminum props might only scratch a SS prop.

As you have found out, repairing aluminum props is a hit and miss(mostly miss) proposition.

Pay no attention to the horror stories concerning SS props damaging lower units. That's what the shock absorbing hub is for; it works the same no matter what the prop material is.

 

[catfishr1]

Re: aluminum or stainless and to repair or not to repair

Howdy mc; Welcome to aboard. When it comes to this issue, I tend to get on my soap box. I agree with jestor68 right down the line. It is your hub shock absorbing system that is your defense against lower unit damage. The only time I have tore up my lower unit, was running aluminum. I immediately switched to s/s and have been happy as a clam. You will reap a lot of benifits prolly had not even considered.:welcome:

 

[mcurcio1989]

Re: aluminum or stainless and to repair or not to repair

interesting - my thought is sort of leaning to the idea that running aluminum props which seem to always want to go out of balance even from the most mundane strikes is more likely to cause drive damage then running a stainless prop in this kind of situation. What are your thoughts their?

I specifically ask this because my father holds the idea that aluminum is safer in our application and from everything I am reading this does not seem to agree with modern prop design. Before shock absorbing hubs were used I am sure that was true but it seems that this is no longer the case. Aside from taking props into the shop every 3 weeks or so for repairs that don't last running an out of balance prop seems reckless to me and there is really almost no way to avoid it at times running aluminum with this kind of bottom.

 

[catfishr1]

Re: aluminum or stainless and to repair or not to repair

interesting - my thought is sort of leaning to the idea that running aluminum props which seem to always want to go out of balance even from the most mundane strikes is more likely to cause drive damage then running a stainless prop in this kind of situation. What are your thoughts their?

I specifically ask this because my father holds the idea that aluminum is safer in our application and from everything I am reading this does not seem to agree with modern prop design. Before shock absorbing hubs



were used I am sure that was true but it seems that this is no longer the case. Aside from taking props into the shop every 3 weeks or so for repairs that don't last running an out of balance prop seems reckless to me and there is really almost no way to avoid it at times running aluminum with this kind of bottom.

I held the same views on Stainless as your Dad untill 2008. That is when I learned 1st hand that logic and reality can be 180 degrees apart.















As to the first part of your post, yes seems as though keeping aluminium balanced is not easy. However I did run aluminium for over 40 years & dont believe had any lower unit damage from imbalance. Not nearly as nice handling as s/s. however. for me s/s much smoother handling, quicker hole shot, overall great handling & they are extremely durable. Do not worry about tearing up your lower unit with s/s as I have repair bills to prove you can tear it up just as quickly with aluminum if hub does not react properly. Hope this helps you. I absolutely love my s/s. John The catfishhunter